Pierrot's Lament
by Alatum Laminis
Summary: Innocence has many uses. Some, like the mysterious criminals Crown Clown and Fantasy's Requiem, use it to rob and murder innonents. Two agents of the Black Order, Lenalee Lee and Lucia Remier, are dispatched to capture these two rogues with their own Innocence, Dark Boots and Shining Gloom. But are the criminals the true evil, or is there an even worse betrayal in the Black Order?
1. Prologue

**Some of you may recall that I once tried to make my mark on this archive with the story **_**Tales of the Exorcists. **_**That, however, was a failure. After much consideration, I decided to make an entirely different story, since my **_**Wolf's Rain**_** story is nearly complete. Hopefully, this will be more successful.**

**Please note that since this is an AU, I reserve the right to put in my own characters, and as such, Blake Phantasia and Lucia Remier will be characters. I do not, however, own **_**D-Gray Man.**_** If I did, I would be putting out weekly chapters.  
**

**Well, then…let us begin. **

The night was very peaceful; no dogs were barking, the ladies of the night were all occupied, and no serial killers stalked the streets looking for victims. However, all the peace was an illusion, and that illusion was soon to be shattered.

A scream split the night as oil lamps were lit up. A lean man leapt from a second-floor window and landed easily on his feet. More lights lit up around the street. The man was shown to those who looked down upon him, and all of them recognized him.

His hair was pure white, and spiked back. He wore a white cowl with three tendrils, and the rest of his body was covered in a long, black coat. His right arm was also white, and he wore a silver bracelet on its wrist. It was his left arm that caught the eyes; a black gauntlet with spindly, monstrous claws held a bag of jewelry that the man had apparently pilfered from the house. When he turned up to glare at the window that he had jumped from, the terrified witnesses saw a silver and black metal mask covering steel-gray eyes.

A dazzling bolt of lightning suddenly struck the middle of the street, covering the entire area in dust and temporarily blinding the witnesses. The residents of the street turned their eyes away to shield themselves from what they thought to be the work of a demon, and when they dared turned back, the thief was gone, leaving not a single trace behind.

"Are you all right, James?!" one of the neighbors of the robbed family called from his window.

"We're fine, Joseph!" James answered.

"Oh, God…I was so scared…" his wife whimpered.

"That bastard Crown Clown…who the hell does he think he is, stealing from us?!" Joseph growled.

"Sssh! If you say his name, we might be next!" Joseph's wife warned.

"Yes! Did you see the way he summoned lightning just like that?! Do you think he's some kind of monster?" James's wife asked.

"No. That was Innocence," Joseph growled.

James looked at him, wide-eyed. "Innocence? You mean..."

"Yes."

"How dare he use God's blessing like that?!" James growled.

"I'm calling the Black Order. They have to investigate, right?" James's wife asked.

"Yeah…let's hope that they succeed this time…" James muttered as his wife scurried off.

**This was the prologue. The next chapter will come soon. Leave your comments if you wish, or wait for the next chapter. You'll get more details then. **


	2. Clown and Requiem

**Here is Chapter 2. Enjoy.**

"_Lenalee Lee and Lucia Remier, please report to Section Chief Komui Lee's office immediately. I repeat, please report to Section Chief Komui Lee's office immediately. ESPECIALLY YOU, LENALEE-CHAN!"_

This last part woke up a beautiful green-haired, violet-eyed girl, the Black Order agent Lenalee Lee, and she immediately regretted doing so. It was true that she tended to wake up early, but even she had her limits. Waking up at two-o'clock in the morning was far beyond them.

Groggily, Lenalee sat up in her bed and quickly changed into her uniform, a trim dark sweater and short skirt and shorts, with silver designs embroidered onto them. She also slipped on a pair of long black socks that went up to the middle of her thighs, followed by her Innocence, the Dark Boots, in its sealed form. A long dark blue duster dress completed the ensemble.

The young girl walked out of her room, and into the main building of the Black Order Headquarters.

The Black Order was a branch of the Vatican that specialized in criminal and supernatural occurrences. The police and other authorities always contacted the Black Order if there was something that the authorities could not handle, or if they believed that there was a demon afoot. What made this branch so suited to its task was their usage of special agents like Lenalee and her friend, the aforementioned Lucia Remier, who were able to use the mysterious objects known as Innocence.

Not much was known about Innocence. What most people knew for sure was that it granted their users abilities beyond most of their wildest dreams, and as a result, many ambitious men sought out Innocence. Their searches proved fruitless, due to a lesser-known fact: Innocence was sentient, and every piece could choose its own wielder.

However, whether or not they knew about Innocence's sentience, all of the public firmly believed that those who could use Innocence were also the agents of God, as these lucky few demonstrated supernatural, even godlike, powers. Some could slice or pierce through sheets of solid steel or level an entire town with a single slash or blunt strike. Others could appear out of darkness, summon illusions, control the elements…Innocence was universal in its powers. Because the users of Innocence were believed to be agents of God, the public fearfully and reverently referred to those black and silver clad fighters as Exorcists.

Lenalee wasn't the only Exorcist who was called into duty in the middle of the night. Lucia Remier was an Exorcist who had joined the Black Order about a year ago, when it was discovered that she not only possessed Innocence, but was also born with it, which made her a very rare case. The only reason that she had joined the Black Order at the age of fifteen was that she was lying low. But now, one year later, Lucia was a full-fledged Exorcist.

As Lenalee walked towards her destination, a pretty and petite girl with light silvery-blue hair, green eyes, and a full Exorcist's coat met up with her. This was Lucia Remier, and after exchanging polite but tired greetings, the two girls headed off to Komui's office. Once they opened the door, both of them immediately stepped to the side to avoid a flying blur that screamed, "LENALEE!"

That blur was Lenalee's older brother, Komui Lee. He was the Section Chief of the Black Order's Headquarters, but although he cared deeply about his subordinates, he did have some very noticeable character flaws. Everyone in the Black Order, from the Exorcists to the faculty, would admit to Komui's genius, but they would also unhesitatingly admit to his extreme sister complex over Lenalee, which went to the point of complete insanity. Lenalee herself had to destroy several of her brother's giant robots after they went out of control during what were supposed to be friendly outings with some of the Black Order's staff. After these incidents, said staff often spent a good few months in the Black Order's rehabilitation center.

"LENALEE! GOOD MORNING!" Komui shrieked, whipping around and not deterred at all by Lenalee or Lucia's glares and groans of annoyance.

"Brother, it's two o'clock in the morning, either you tell us what we're here for, or I'm going back to bed," Lenalee muttered.

"Also, can't you keep your voice down?" Lucia added.

Komui's goofy grin suddenly disappeared, replaced by a serious scowl. "You're right. Let's get down to business. Follow me." In reality, he had to follow them back into his office, which was utterly littered with scattered papers and files. Komui easily stepped through the trash heap, but Lenalee and Lucia had to watch where they put their feet, because they weren't sure whether the papers housed rodents and insects or not.

Komui sat down at his desk and pushed more papers onto the floor so that he could face the two girls, who sat down on a red couch. He then tossed Lenalee a sealed envelope. "It's your next assignment, girls. Go on, open it."

Lenalee broke the seal open and took out the packet inside. Both her and Lucia's eyes widened at the picture on the top; it was a picture of the notorious thief known only as Crown Clown.

Crown Clown had first appeared two years ago in their town. No one knew exactly who he was, since a black and silver metal mask always covered his face, but he had quickly made a name for himself. He was a very successful thief who, although he was always caught in the act, always managed to slip away moments after being discovered. What made the police unable to catch him was the fact that Crown Clown's mask, white outfit, and left claw were all components of Innocence. Even more ironic was the fact that he wore an Exorcist's uniform under his outfit.

These facts were confirmed by several agents of the Black Order, agents who had all tried and failed to capture the thief. Crown Clown was not only superb in stealing and getaways, but also in battle. Lenalee's friends, Yu Kanda and Lavi, had both tried on three separate occasions to capture Crown Clown. The first time, he evaded them both. The second time, he outfought them both. Kanda and Lavi both hated the fact of the latter; they were two of the Black Order's best Exorcists.

"Crown Clown? Kanda and Lavi already tried this three times, and neither of them could do it. What makes you think we can?" Lucia asked.

"Because you have two things that they didn't. One is your Innocence, which are both suited to long-distance chase and capture. With Lenalee's speed and Lucia's bow, even Crown Clown will find it a challenge to get away," Komui said.

"I think that's more of a "maybe" than a "will"…but what's the second thing?" Lucia asked.

"You have information that they didn't. As you said, Kanda and Lavi tried three times to catch Crown Clown. The third time, they almost had him, but then a ring of fire spontaneously appeared in the middle of their fight, giving Crown Clown ample time to escape," Komui said.

"We know. Crown Clown caused it somehow…right?" Lenalee asked, suddenly wondering what the point of all this was.

"Wrong." Lenalee and Lucia both inhaled sharply as Komui folded his hands and hid his mouth behind them, so that only his serious eyes were visible. It was the look that he adopted when he felt that any jokes were unfit for the situation. "We've been getting reports saying that for the past few months, every time Crown Clown appears, strange occurrences follow. The first case was the ring of fire, but there have been three more cases of the same since then. And that's not all. Other incidents include two flash floods, six tremors, and three windstorms, all of them inexplicable and unpredicted. And just a few hours ago, Crown Clown was spotted before getting away again…because the witnesses were all turning their heads away from a bolt of lightning that suddenly hit the middle of the street. Do you understand where I'm going with this?"

Both girls did. There was no way that Crown Clown could have caused all these incidents by himself. There was no Innocence except for Lavi's that even came close to having such control over the elements. Besides, Crown Clown always used his Innocence in direct combat. If he had such control over the elements as well, why hadn't he used it against Lavi, or even Kanda?

"I think we've been able to find the source of these phenomena. There's another file under Crown Clown's," Komui directed.

There was indeed a second file, and the first page was a picture of another young man, with spiky black hair that stood straight up by a couple of inches. There were two longer bangs that hung down in front of his eyes, almost like antennae. Like Crown Clown, he also wore an Exorcist's uniform. His face was covered in a black mask with long spikes at the side, the outline somewhat resembling that of a saber-toothed cat. His right arm was his most striking feature, even more so than the hair; two long blades with even smaller blades protruding out of them stuck out of the man's right wrist in the fashion of a bull's horns. The weapon itself bore resemblance to a pair of wings.

"This man was seen at several of Crown Clown's crime scenes, mostly on high buildings. Several witnesses claim to have seen him waving that arm around before the phenomena happen. It's safe to assume that this is the guy who's helping Crown Clown," Komui said.

"Don't you think that's circumstantial evidence?" Lenalee asked.

"Eh, this mission will confirm the assumption. Off you go! And be careful!"

_Later…_

"Lenalee, how exactly are we going to find this guy? Do you have any ideas?" Lucia asked.

"Not really," Lenalee answered.

"Good, because I do." Lucia pulled back her left sleeve, revealing a pure white arm. "Innocence, activate!" Lucia's left arm erupted in green energy before expanding to form a silver recurve bow that extended from both sides of Lucia's wrist, with small spikes along its length and longer such spikes at the corners. The rest of Lucia's arm was covered in silver ridged armor, and the bowstring was on Lucia's palm's side. With this design, Lucia's hand would help her aim.

"Tenebris!" Lucia commanded, drawing back the bowstring as a dark projectile materialized between her fingers. "It's dark, so with this, I can actually detect the presence of everyone in the vicinity. If there's someone with Innocence around here, I can find him."

"Wow, you can do that? Then I'll leave the tracking to you," Lenalee said. Lucia smiled for an instant before gasping. Her head snapped around, turning up. Lenalee followed her friend's gaze to see that they had already found their quarry…or rather he had found them.

A mocking smirk spread onto Crown Clown's face as he stared down at the two girls, before sets of long white tendrils suddenly wrapped around them and brought them up to his rooftop. Lucia released her dark arrow, but it was quickly blown to the side and dissipated by a gust of sharp wind. Lucia turned to see the other man, the one said to be Crown Clown's associate, standing a few rooftops away.

Crown Clown's tendrils relaxed their grip, letting the girls drop to the roof and Lenalee take action. "Innocence, activate!" The Dark Boots formed around her long socks, with green energy flowing out of their heels. "Crown Clown…you and your partner are under arrest for thievery and murder. Please do not resist."

Crown Clown smirked and waved a white finger at them. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk…the Black Order sent two…very attractive women to arrest me. I can't tell if they're desperate or stupid." The finger hooked back and beckoned. "Well, come on then…bring it."

Lenalee and Lucia were a little surprised. Crown Clown's voice was that of a boy perhaps about their age, maybe a little bit younger. Even so, he was a thief, and he had to be punished. Lenalee took the first attack, flying towards the clown with amazing speed and throwing a spin kick at him. Crown Clown held up his left hand and tried to parry it, but the force behind the kick was far more powerful than he anticipated. His eyes were wide as he was blown to the side.

Lenalee was instantly above him, ready to drop another kick with even greater force than before. Crown Clown quickly reacted; more tendrils whipped out to grab onto a nearby building and hold fast, allowing him to pull himself to it and dodge Lenalee's attack. She was able to reduce the force and avoid destroying the building, but Crown Clown was already back on his feet, mocking her from a distance.

"Wow. You definitely have more control over your powers than the other two," Clown commented.

"I don't want to have to use force. Just come quietly," Lenalee appealed.

"I really can't do that," Clown declined.

"Why?"

"The time isn't right for you to know the truth. For now, just stay out of my way."

"Lux!" Crown Clown leapt backwards to dodge about five arrows of light. Lucia already had another five nocked. "If you won't come quietly, then I'll have to join in as well."

"Your business is not with them." Lucia whipped around, and her arrows pointed right into the face of a flaming pair of wings that was aimed like a cannon at her. Literally, the wings were on fire.

Lucia retreated a good few feet, and the man simply watched her, although neither of them relaxed their aim. "Who are you?"

"Just as he calls himself by his Innocence, so will I. Call me Fantasy's Requiem," the man said. In reality, though, his voice was as young and smooth as Allen's, marking his age to be just the same.

Lucia smirked. "Requiem? That's a bit egotistical, don't you think?"

"I have a better question. Did the Black Order send you in the hopes that you could convince Clown to come quietly by seducing him with feminine wiles?" Lucia noticed a mocking smirk on Requiem's face, and this rather annoyed her.

Lucia loosed her arrows, and a large ball of fire met them mid-flight. The resulting shock proved ineffective against the two Exorcists, as they both rushed right into the cloud of dust. However, Requiem found Lucia first, moving behind her and encasing her between his wings. Lucia realized it a second too late.

"Aqua." Lucia felt freezing water spray her midsection, and screamed, leaping away from Requiem. When the dust cleared, Requiem was grinning mockingly at her. His right arm was now covered in pulsing water.

"No, seriously. It's actually not that bad of an idea. You are very pretty, you know," Requiem said.

Lucia's face felt hot. "Less talk, more fighting! Tenebris!" she ordered. A dark energy arrow formed as she pulled back the string before letting go. The arrow disappeared mid-flight.

"Was that supposed to…?" Requiem was interrupted when the arrow pierced his right arm…from behind. He looked at the pulsing projectile with wide eyes.

"A warning shot," Lucia growled, already nocking another arrow.

"Ohh…I get it. I have to admit, I don't stand a chance against you, as long as it's dark," Requiem said. "Fulgur."

Lucia's eyes widened in realization as the water on Requiem's wings turned into lightning. Requiem smiled. "Realized it yet? Your Innocence is a lot like mine. Call out the Latin words for a certain element, and the Innocence reflects that. Lux and tenebris for light and darkness, huh?"

"All those incidents…it was you who caused them. Ignis, aqua, and fulgur for fire, water, and lightning. I guess you also have ventus for wind, and terra for earth, huh?" Lucia asked.

Requiem laughed. "Bravissimo! You're the first one after Clown to realize that! Now, then, we know each other's capabilities. Shall we continue?"

"That's exactly what I want!" Lucia snapped.

"So do I. Aqua!" The lightning on the wings morphed back into water. Lucia was slightly confused as to why he hadn't used the lightning against her. However, another spray of freezing water jolted her mind back into the battle. She quickly evaded it and moved behind Requiem, this time aiming her arrow directly at his back.

Requiem tossed his winged arm as if he was swatting a fly, and Lucia began to feel the water on her body begin to grow colder. This disrupted her concentration for an instant, and that was all it took for Requiem to blast her with another round of water that covered her entire body.

"It's over. You let your guard down." Lucia looked down to see the water beginning to freeze, and she would be frozen along with it. She looked at Requiem in shock as her loaded arrow disappeared.

"You should have shot my leg. That would've given you a much better fighting chance. But my right arm? It hurts, really, but that is all," Requiem said.

Lucia grinned, even though the ice was nearly up to her neck. "It's going to get a lot worse." Requiem looked at her uncomprehendingly before he cried out loud as the throbbing in his arm increased to excruciating pain, like his arm was being torn off.

"Pain augmentation and spontaneous appearance?" Requiem hissed.

"Enjoy…" Lucia's bow deactivated back into its normal form, and her sweat betrayed her nervousness, but she blew Requiem one last wink before her face was entirely frozen.

Requiem was frantically pulling at the arrow in his arm and managed to yank it out, much to his relief. Even though there was a gaping hole in it, his Innocence would recover, and the pain was lessening. He was a little annoyed, but his genuine amusement overtook it as he looked at the frozen Lucia.

"You are very intriguing, little girl. Your light arrows can swarm the opponent and move at unimaginable speeds, while your darkness arrows can appear wherever there are shadows and augment the pain of whatever they hit. If you're awake in there, rest assured that I won't kill you…come to think of it, I don't even know your name." Requiem shrugged. "Oh, well. You'll wake up later. Perhaps you'll do me the honor then."

He lifted the girl under his left arm and looked towards the nearby sparks and green energy clashing before raising his arm so that his wings pointed towards the sky. "Now, then…let's see how are respective partners are doing, then."

His wings spread out like a bird's and began to flap. Requiem laughed out loud as he flew towards the battle.

Lenalee and Crown Clown had been clashing all the while. Lenalee could see how Kanda and Lavi had lost to him. With his tendrils swinging him back and forth between buildings, he could move nearly as fast as she could. He was also amazingly acrobatic despite the burden of his cape, and Lenalee had watched him awe several times as he performed complicated flips and spins in midair to outmaneuver her attacks. Neither of them had landed a solid hit on the other yet, but she was tiring, while he was relatively fresh.

Crown Clown could hear her breathing, and smiled. "You're more of a challenge for me than the other two, actually. You're the first one to keep up with me, aside from Requiem, and he can only fly. You on the other hand dance in midair, like a butterfly," he praised.

"Why are you doing this? What do you gain from stealing so much?" Lenalee asked.

Crown Clown spread his arms wide. "The thrill. The riches. A lot of people would use these excuses. He and I are different. We hunt for those who are different from the norm and rob them. If they…offer a resistance that we can't tolerate, we kill them."

"What kind of man are you? Innocence is the blessing of God!" Lenalee exclaimed.

"And we agree with you on that. We're using it the way He wanted us to," Allen said.

"You're saying that He wanted you to murder innocent people?"

"You're half right. But this discussion grows tiresome." Crown Clown raised his claw. "I won't kill you. There's no point in that. Just try not to resist."

"You're the one who shouldn't resisting arrest!" Lenalee snapped, leaping high up into the air. "Waltz: Mist Wind!"

Lenalee's boots kicked twice in midair before a horizontal tornado spiraled towards Crown Clown. Instead of dodging, however, Crown Clown stood in the face of the tornado with his claw ready to counter.

"Cross Grave!" Just as the tornado was about to hit him, he slashed his claw in a quick cross motion, creating a white cross-shaped attack that cut right through the tornado and struck the surprised Lenalee. As she fell backward, Clown appeared above her.

"Edge End." The black claw swiped down and swatted Lenalee with devastating force, enough to temporarily send her hurtling towards the ground at such a speed that she could barely recover. When she did, an enormous shockwave damaged the nearby buildings and the cobbles on the road.

"It's not over yet," she declared.

"Clown Belt!" Crown Clown landed right in front of her as the tendrils wrapped around her once more. "Now is it over?"

"Why?" Lenalee repeated her earlier question.

There was no annoyance on Crown Clown's eyes, only a small bit of regret. "Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe me." His claw floated up, and Lenalee braced herself, but all he did was stroke her hair with surprising gentleness. "You truly are beautiful. Why does such a woman have to be involved in this?"

Lenalee blushed a little before gasping as Crown Clown's right fist buried itself in her stomach. It did not pierce her skin , but it was hard enough to knock the wind out of her and deactivate her Innocence. Clown Belt loosened as she fell, her eyes wide with shock.

The shock grew greater as Crown Clown gently caught her in his arms and lifted her bridal style. "I truly am sorry."

Lenalee's mouth could not form words. The only thing that came out was a rattling gasp as she saw the other criminal flying above Crown Clown with the frozen Lucia tucked under his arm. This sight was the last thing she saw before everything went black.

**Okay, I think that should do. I truly am enjoying writing this!** **And unlike last time, I actually have a plot ready! Prepare to be entertained!**

**But in any case, leave a comment below. They are motivating, after all. **


	3. The Truth About Innocence

**The last chapter was met with positive reception, which is quite pleasing. I'm glad all of you seem to enjoy this…because I am, too!**

_Dark. All was dark. She kept on running…she couldn't stop. She didn't know why, but she had to keep on running. The Dark Boots were ineffective; no matter how she tried, she couldn't activate them. Still…all she could do was keep on running, with no idea of what she was running to or from. _

_It turned out that she was running from something. As she ran into a clearing in a forest, a fat man with pale lavender skin, thick glasses, an enormous grin, a flowered top hat, and a pumpkin-headed umbrella suddenly fell from the sky, to land on his feet in front of her. _

"_You are mine, Heart~!" he laughed, reaching out to her. _

_She backed up in fear, but then the Dark Boots suddenly activated. She did not know why, but she moved on instinct, leaping high above the man before spiraling down like a meteor to double kick him from above. _

_He only laughed again before forming a mass of dark energy in his hand. As she came down, he released it in a devastating blast, shattering her attack completely._

_She landed roughly on her back, curled up with pain. When she looked up, the man was leaning down to look at her. The huge grin was still there, but his eyes reeked malice behind his glasses. _

"_You are mine…and that will never change~!" His cheerful tone belied the plans he had for her as he reached down. She closed her eyes, bracing herself. _

"_Crown Edge!" The fat man leapt away as white crown-shaped rings flew at him. They did not stop as the man landed, and he cried out in surprise as they struck him. _

_She saw it …Crown Clown, facing the man. "Why~?" the fat man asked._

"_Because you are Auguste, and my job is to stop your idiocy!" Crown Clown growled, before rushing towards the fat man with his claw ready to attack._

_The last thing she heard was the fat man laughing gleefully… _

Lenalee erupted out of her bed, panting. Was that a dream? How did it end? Who was that man? All these questions swirled around in her mind as she put her hand on her head. It was coming back to her now. Crown Clown and his partner had defeated her and Lucia, and the last thing she remembered was being carried in Crown Clown's arms.

As she looked around, she realized that she wasn't in her room at the Black Order. The room that she was in had walls made of plaster rather than stone. It only had the barest furnishings: a desk, a chair, a mirror, a dresser, and a bed. The bed was larger than the one she had in the Black Order, but the sheets were white. There was absolutely no representation of the room's owner, if there was any.

As she got out of the bed, Lenalee blushed when she realized that she was wearing nothing but her undergarments. She panicked a little when she noticed that her Dark Boots were missing, but sighed in relief when she found them at the foot of the bed, and another look at the chair led to the discovery of a black lady's robe and her hairpins. It took her a minute to put on the robe, which surprisingly fit her well, before she found a fine-toothed comb on the desk. Another few minutes passed before her hair was back in its signature pigtails.

The door wouldn't budge when she tried it. It was locked. Lenalee sighed in resignation as she walked back to the bed and sat on it with her head cupped in her hands. If the thieves had captured her, they were quite courteous; she had expected a rotting jail cell at best. Even so, she couldn't risk breaking out with her Dark Boots; she imagined that neither of them would be too pleased after that.

A quick glance at window told her that it was early morning. She hadn't slept for that long, and she expected her captors to show up any minute. Until then, Lenalee contented herself with thinking about recent events. One of her main thoughts was Crown Clown.

Even if he was a thief, Crown Clown was rather polite and eloquent, as if he were a noble's son rather than a criminal. However, his power was not exaggerated. Lenalee recalled the relative ease with which he had beaten her, and the way his partner was grinning as he held the frozen Lucia meant that Crown Clown's partner was just as powerful. Not only that, but the partner could fly. What did Crown Clown call him? Requiem?

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door was unlocked and opened. Lenalee didn't know what she was expecting, but it was certainly not a handsome white-haired boy with silver eyes and a wicked scar that arced up to his left eye.

He smiled at her. "Good morning."

Lenalee could only nod dumbly. She would recognize his voice even if his scar weren't a telltale giveaway. This was Crown Clown, unmasked. He wore a gray vest over a white dress shirt, a red bow tie, tall black boots, and black pants. It was a gentleman's outfit, if not rather plain, but somehow it suited him. As she had thought, he was a boy her age.

He held out a folded bundle of clothes, and Lenalee saw that they were hers. "They're yours. I washed them as best I could; they were a little dirty from last night."

When she didn't accept them, Crown Clown frowned in concern. "Is something the matter?"

"What do you want? Why did you bring me here? Where's Lucia?" Lenalee asked, not being able to help feeling suspicious.

"Blake is watching her in another room. We brought you two here to recover," Crown Clown said.

"Blake?"

"Blake Phantasia. He's the other one you saw last night, and the wielder of the Innocence Fantasy's Requiem." He set Lenalee's clothes down next to her and bowed. "My name is Allen Walker. As you've probably guessed right now, I wield Crown Clown."

Lenalee leapt to her feet and aimed a roundhouse kick at his head from the left, stopping at the last second. As he felt the force making his hair blow to the right, Allen's eyes widened and he quickly put his hands up. "My name is Lenalee Lee. If you don't want to die, tell me why you are here," she growled.

"Please don't kill me, I'm only here to bring your clothes…" he whimpered.

Lenalee raised an eyebrow and slowly lowered her leg. _This _was the criminal who took her down? Allen sighed in relief. "That would have either sent me flying into a wall or taken my head off. Good thing you weren't wearing your Dark Boots. That definitely would have taken off my head."

He lowered his hands. "Now then, change your clothes. I had a doctor—_female_, mind you—treat yours and Lucia's wounds, so don't worry. I'll be outside." Allen turned to leave, but as he was opening the door, he turned around. "By the way, don't try to run. Blake and I can easily catch up to you, and you don't want to open your wounds. Also…" He looked her up and down. "Even through that robe, you have a very nice bosom."

"GET OUT!" Lenalee shrieked, throwing her comb at him and blushing with mortification.

Allen laughed and left her to change. Lenalee took a few minutes to do so, calling for Allen when she was done. When he came in, he gave her another smile. "If the lady will allow me to be so bold," he said, offering his arm and causing her to blush. Even so, she took his arm and allowed him to escort her through the hallway.

As they walked down the hallway of Allen and Blake's home, Lenalee actually found it difficult to ignore Allen's natural charisma. Despite the display of fear a few minutes before, he was a very composed boy, to the point in which Lenalee began to think that his earlier nervousness at being kicked by her was a trick. The way he treated her, however, was very different from what she expected.

He escorted her with a sort of familiarity, as if he had done it before. Whenever they came to a closed door, he opened it for her. Neither of them said a word, but the silence between them was not awkward. It was surprisingly comforting, even though she was an Exorcist trying to arrest him, the criminal.

But was he really as evil as he was played out to be? Lenalee remembered how he had defended her from the fat man in her dream. Even though it was a dream, she could easily compare that Allen to this one. Even now, as he escorted her through his house, Allen did not seem like a criminal at all. He seemed more like a hero that had fallen on hard times.

Lenalee's thoughts were interrupted when another boy her age stepped out from behind the door. Like Allen, he was dressed in rather formal clothing, only he wore a black vest and no bow tie. It was more similar to a servant's clothing, and Lenalee might have considered him to be such if not for his spiked hair that hung down like antennae, or his sharp, differently colored eyes. His left eye was ice blue, and his right was a deep, crimson red. Despite his servant-like attire, Lenalee quickly realized how dangerous this boy was. Unlike Allen, this boy wore his roguish persona openly.

Even so, he still knew the common acts of respect. When he saw Allen and Lenalee, he bowed slightly. Allen bowed and Lenalee curtsied with the same slightness, making the boy smile.

"Lenalee, this is Blake Phantasia, wielder of Fantasy's Requiem. Don't be fooled by his evil looks, he's actually a nice person. Blake, this is Lenalee Lee, the wielder of the Dark Boots. Try not to make her mad." Allen introduced them to each other, and Blake gave Lenalee a rather intimidating smile. Lenalee smiled back.

"I'm glad that you showed up. Your friend should wake up in a few minutes. To keep her from trying to attack me, I want you to talk to her," Blake said.

"And why shouldn't we attack you? I should be kicking your butts…literally," Lenalee asked.

"Because then you won't discover the truth about Innocence," Allen said.

That got Lenalee's attention. The truth about Innocence? Impossible. "You're lying."

"If we were, then we would have left you in the streets," Blake said.

"Why didn't you tell Lavi or Kanda?" Lenalee retorted.

"Those two would have attacked us the instant they woke up. You, as a lady, are less likely to attack on sight and instead try to assess the situation. We were counting on that," Allen said.

"So you try seducing me?" Lenalee muttered, half joking.

Allen smiled. "Oh, no, that was all me," he laughed. Lenalee groaned. These two were becoming less like thieves by the second.

Allen looked at Lenalee, genuinely imploring her to come. "Please. You need to know what Innocence is, and what it's meant for."

Lenalee considered this, and then nodded in agreement. "But if I think you're lying, you're both going to the Black Order's jail."

"Trust me, when you hear the truth, you'll think it's a lie, too, until you see it for yourself," Allen muttered. Lenalee didn't like the sound of that.

Blake led them to another room, the perfect mirror image of the room Lenalee was in. Lucia slept on the bed, covered in blankets. "I defrosted her, but she was still shivering violently, so I did as the doctor suggested and covered her with as many blankets as possible. Good thing, too…I took a huge risk with freezing her."

"I told you not to risk their lives," Allen growled.

"It was the best way to knock her out! Did you expect me to half-drown her or hit her on the head with a rock?!" Blake protested.

"I think this would count as half-drowning her…" Allen muttered.

Lenalee walked over to Lucia's bed and shook her a little. "Lucia…Lucia, wake up," she called.

Soon enough, Lucia's eyes slowly fluttered open. "Lenalee…where are we?" Suddenly, she sat up and nearly headbutted Lenalee. "Where's Crown Clown?! Where's Fantasy's Requiem?!"

"Hi!" Allen and Blake both caught Lucia's attention by sheepishly waving. Lucia's eyes widened when she saw Blake.

"You!" Lucia roughly shoved off the blankets and activated Shining Gloom. "Ready for Round 2?" She was confused when Allen and Blake quickly turned around, and even more so when Lenalee gasped. "What?!"

"Half-naked…" Blake murmured, with a very red face. Lucia looked down at herself, and when she saw that she was dressed in only her undergarments, she turned even redder than Blake before screaming in mortification.

"GET OUT!"

Allen and Blake both ran out of the room dodging a thrown chair.

_Later…_

Neither Blake nor Lucia could meet the other's eyes. Both of them were too embarrassed. The comfortable silence that Lenalee had enjoyed was now an awkward one, especially considering that it was at a breakfast table.

Lenalee thought that Lucia, as a Parasitic-Type, could never be matched in the amount of food she consumed; their cook, Jeryy, prepared enormous quantities of food just for her. However, Lenalee had never expected the same behavior from Allen and Blake; each of them ate as much as Lucia did by himself. When the girls saw the thirty-course meal on the table, they nearly fainted, but were even more shocked when Allen and Blake began to wolf down the meal. Lucia practically had to fight the two for food while poor Lenalee just sat there, content with four slices of buttered toast, two cups of tea, and a deep wish to avoid the food fight erupting around her.

Now, the four of them had just painstakingly washed the dishes, and were sitting around the table, waiting for Allen and Blake to speak. However, with the recent mortification that Lucia had suffered, the situation was…tense at best.

"Let's…cut to the chase. As you might have noticed by now, both Blake and I are Parasitic-Types," Allen said.

"As if the food didn't make it obvious," Lenalee sighed.

"Yes…what you don't know is that both of us were born with Innocence," Allen said.

Lucia looked at them, shocked. "Just like me!" Then she met Blake's eyes and looked away again, blushing. Blake sighed.

"What we're about to tell you will be hard to believe. It mostly concerns the purpose of Innocence and the "people" we've killed. The thing is, they weren't exactly people in the most literal sense of the word," Blake said.

"What do you mean?" Lenalee asked.

"They were Akuma," Allen said.

"Demons? They don't exist!" Lucia refuted.

"Not demons. Akuma. They're mechanical weapons specially designed by the Millennium Earl to kill humans," Allen explained.

"Millennium Earl? Who's that?" Lenalee asked.

"A bastard who wants to take over the world and destroy every single human living on it with his Akuma." Blake took out a sketchbook. "The Akuma alone are a problem; they have several known levels organized by number, each one more powerful than the last."

He opened to a page depicting a strange ball with gun barrels sticking out of every direction and a monstrous human face that depicted malicious, demonic rage. "The Level 1s are the basic level. Those guns shoot out bullets made out of Dark Matter, the only thing that can destroy Innocence. At this stage, however, their bullets aren't strong enough to cause any harm to Innocence, so instead, they have to kill through fatal wounding. A shot from an Akuma bullet is enough to corrode any human to dust, except Parasitic-Types like Allen and I. An Equipment-Type like you, Lenalee, is more vulnerable to these bullets, but most Exorcists like you are too powerful to be harmed by such things, so you should be fine," Blake explained.

Neither Lenalee nor Lucia could believe it. Akuma? Corrosive bullets? The Millennium Earl? This was like a children's tale, but both Allen and Blake looked dead serious.

Allen took up the explanation as Blake turned a page to reveal several drawings of strange monsters. One was like an overgrown immature frog, another was a strange hawk-like warrior, and the third looked like a demonic clown. "When a Level 1 kills enough people, it evolves into a Level 2. The ones you see here are just a few of the forms a Level 2 can take. Level 2s are less common than Level 1s, but they are far more dangerous. When an Akuma becomes a Level 2, they can literally become anything, and their abilities become amazingly varied. They can't fire Akuma bullets anymore, but they can do anything else."

Blake pointed to the hawk warrior. "You'd expect this one to be a wind-controller, right? Chances are, you'd be wrong. It could control wind, but it might instead control fire, its screeches could cause volcanic eruptions, it could summon water out of nowhere…you get where I'm going with this? A Level 2's abilities could be anything. They're just like Innocence in that way. Very annoying to deal with, but dangerous as well. Still, they pale in comparison to the last level."

He turned another page to reveal a group of bipedal, human-sized creatures with demonic faces. Their armor and slim but muscular physiques could only place their description as demon knights of some sort. "This is the final level, and by far the most powerful. This is a Level 3 Akuma, which is formed when a Level 2 kills enough people."

"Level 3s are highly intelligent, humanlike in their behavior and form. However, don't be fooled by their size. They dwarf all other Akuma in power, and can outclass even an experienced Exorcist in combat. The few times they have appeared throughout history have all ended in the deaths of hundreds of people and almost any Exorcist that went to stop them. Their abilities rely solely on Dark Matter, but they use it much more efficiently than Level 1s, and they are just as versatile as a Level 2. Neither of us have ever seen one before, but I don't doubt the rumors," Allen said.

Lucia threw her palms down on the table. "That's enough! You guys haven't seen _any_ Akuma because they don't exist!" she yelled, furiously. "How could they?! If they did exist, they would have appeared around the grapevine, right?! And how could Innocence be used against them if this Dark Matter is so effective against it!"

"It goes both ways. Dark Matter is the only thing that can destroy Innocence, but Innocence is the only thing that can destroy Dark Matter and its users, the Akuma. Do you know what Innocence's much more unknown name is?" Allen asked.

"The Anti-Akuma weapon," Blake said.

Lucia now seemed much more cowed. "Anti-Akuma…weapon?"

"The title of Exorcist is given to anyone with Innocence for a good reason. They're the only ones who can stop the Millennium Earl and his army of Akuma, especially since the Earl controls the Akuma completely. Even the Level 3s are subservient to him. It shows just how powerful he is, and how narrowly Blake and I both escaped death," Allen said.

Lenalee and Lucia quickly connected the dots. "Allen…you two met the Earl, didn't you?" Lenalee asked.

Allen and Blake looked at each other before turning back to the girls. "Yes," Allen said.

"Or rather, he met with us," Blake added, turning another page.

"What do you mean?" Lucia asked.

"The Earl doesn't create the Akuma spontaneously. Whenever someone dies, he visits them and offers a deal: he will bring back the soul of the dead if a mourner who desperately wants to see that person calls out their name. However, he reanimates the dead person in an Akuma's skeleton, and by the time the soul and the mourner realize what has happened, it is too late. The Earl then orders the new Akuma to kill the one who brought them back and wear their skin, therefore disguising itself in the guise of a human. It's an endless cycle of sorrow, and that's where the Exorcists have to step in," Allen explained.

"The Exorcists have to use their Innocence to kill the Akuma and the human soul along with it. That way, we save the soul and allow them to rest in peace. Being an Akuma may being the dead back, but it curses them to a life of complete servitude under the Earl. It is not a blessing, but a punishment, and that's why the Exorcists have to kill them," Blake said.

"Who taught you all this?" Lucia asked.

"Our master. He was…is…an Exorcist with complete awareness of what that title means. I think you know who he is," Allen said.

"The Black Order General, Cross Marian," Blake said.

And this was the most shocking fact of all.

**That's it! As I said, this is an AU, but there will be elements from the real story incorporated into this one. **

**Please leave a comment below. And Merry Christmas 2013, everyone! **


	4. The Black Order's Agents

**Let us begin. **

Lenalee and Lucia could hardly believe the bombshell that Allen and Blake had just dropped on them. General Cross was their master? But if that was true, then did he also know about the Akuma? Why hadn't he told the Black Order about it if he did?

"He was a terrible master, but he did know his stuff," Blake broke into Lenalee's thoughts.

"You're getting a little off topic. How did you guys meet the Earl?" Lucia asked.

Blake and Allen glanced at each other. "That's a story we'll save for another time. You've been here for far too long already. I imagine that the others back at the Black Order are worried about you," Allen said.

"But it's only…" Lucia paused to look at the clock hanging on the wall, "ten o'clock in the morning! We've only been gone for eight hours!" She then muttered, "and I only got five hours of sleep last night."

"Not exactly," Blake said.

Lucia glared at him. "Blake…is there something you conveniently forgot to tell us?" she asked in a dangerous tone.

"Well…the truth is you guys were actually unconscious for more than a day. In reality, you've been missing from the Black Order for thirty-two hours. I imagine that your comrades are working their butts off trying to find you," Allen said.

"Oh, no. Komui must be frantic," Lucia murmured. Lenalee went visibly pale at this thought, and both Allen and Blake noticed.

"Who's Komui? Lenalee's boyfriend?" Blake asked.

"No, her big brother who has a serious sister complex," Lucia explained.

There was silence for a moment. "Well, it's official. For my own safety, I'm not visiting the Black Order anytime soon," Blake declared.

"That would be a good idea. The other Exorcists would be out to get you," Lenalee agreed.

No one had to say the real reason that Allen and Blake had to avoid the Black Order.

"Even though we've established that, there's still the issue of getting you back to the Black Order. In other words, we still have to take you into town, to the point in which you can go back by yourself. I truthfully don't think that leaving you two by yourselves is a good thing to do, but we have no choice. There's still the chance that we would be recognized," Allen said.

"You guys wear masks," Lucia deadpanned.

"Masks that didn't help us hide our identities to you in any way," Allen retorted.

"Do what you have to do. We have to get back," Lenalee said.

"That's what I was hoping to hear," Blake said. He stood up and gestured for the others to do the same when they didn't. "How good are you two with horses?"

_Later…_

Lenalee's arms were tightly wrapped around Allen's waist as they rode Whiteface, a black horse that, true to his name, had a white face. He also had a large white spot where the saddle was, which one could not see because the saddle was covering it.

Whiteface was a very fast horse, but for Lenalee's sake, Allen was keeping him moving at a trot. However, even this was faster than what Lenalee was used to on the ground; she had only moved this fast with the Dark Boots in the air. If this was a trot, Lenalee wondered what Whiteface's full speed was.

Lenalee turned her head to look at Lucia, who was holding on for dear life on Blake's horse, Auron. He was a tough, spirited, dapple-gray horse that enjoyed moving at unrestrained speeds. However, he had met his match in Blake, who had tamed him with food and strict restraints on his behavior, but had also earned Auron's respect when he kept on trying to ride him with amazing determination.

Now, Whiteface and Auron were trotting back into town, but when they reached it, the horses had to slow down even further. The town wasn't so large that the streets were crowded with people, but the risk of running people over was still high.

As Lenalee rode with Allen, she couldn't help but think about why he and Blake had opted to wear the uniforms of Exorcists into town. Sure, there was less chance that they would be stopped, but what would happen if they ran into a Finder, one of the Black Order's field agents without Innocence, or worse, another Exorcist? Running into a Finder or an Exorcist would spell trouble.

"How long are we riding for? I'm starting to get saddle sores," Lucia complained.

"Please loosen your grip. It's not like I'm going to let you fall and have Auron do his business on you," Blake deadpanned.

"I wouldn't put it past you," Lucia muttered.

Blake rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me that you're still mad about freezing you. Or is it that I saw you half-naked?"

"Both!" Lucia snapped.

Blake sighed. "If it's any comfort, you are very lovely," he said. Lucia sniffed and looked away from him, but Lenalee could see her mild blush.

"Both of you quit it," Allen ordered.

"Fine. We're almost there anyway," Blake conceded.

"Where?" Lucia asked.

Allen and Blake stopped the horses at a place a couple of blocks away from the Black Order's headquarters. The enormously tall building stood out over the rest, but one could see the base of the gates from where they were.

"Is it okay if we drop you off here?" Allen asked.

"Yes, this would be fine," Lenalee answered.

"As you wish." Allen got off Whiteface and helped Lenalee down, and Blake did the same with Lucia. They were surprised when they noticed that Blake's hair had started to bend; some of the spikes were now crumpling.

"Your hair got a little messed up," Lucia pointed out as Blake set her on the ground. Blake was about to move his hand to his hair when Lucia, in a surprising act of kindness, reached up and straightened Blake's spikes so that they were sticking up again.

"Does this mean you forgive me for freezing you?" Blake asked tentatively.

Lucia smiled and tilted her head. "No."

"Seeing you half-naked?"

"Even bigger no."

Blake sighed again, but there was a tinge of amusement in it this time. "You're odd. It's very amusing, though."

"Like you're one to talk."

Allen and Lenalee watched this exchange with some confusion. Did Blake and Lucia like each other or hate each other? Their behavior gave clues of both.

"In any case, we have to go. In return for us letting you go, please do not try to arrest us for the next twenty-four hours," Allen said.

Lenalee had almost forgotten. Even though Allen and Blake were both gentlemen, but they were still criminals. She was about to activate her Dark Boots when Allen did something that completely surprised her.

He cupped her hand in his own and kissed the back of it. Lenalee blushed madly and yanked her hand away. "What are you doing?!" she demanded, as she heard Lucia cry out in shock. Blake had done the same thing to her.

Blake smiled at the red-faced, silvery-blue haired girl. "Ladies like you deserve such a goodbye, even if it is from people like us…the lowest of the low," he said.

"Have a nice day, Maidens of the Black Order." Allen and Blake both bowed and mounted their horses. Both of them walked a good distance away before truly beginning to move, so as not to sully Lenalee and Lucia's clothes with dust.

The girls watched the criminals leave. Neither of them had the heart to go after them; they were still rather shocked from the kisses that they had received.

"Lenalee…shouldn't we go after them?" Lucia asked.

"We should, but…" Lenalee trailed off as the image of the handsome white-haired boy smiling as he escorted her through his house. "I don't think that their gentlemanly behavior was an act at all. I don't know why I feel that way."

"They didn't harm us after the fight. They took care of us, they fed us, they even took us back into town." Lucia checked her pockets to find that everything she had in her coat's pockets was still there. "They didn't even try to steal anything from us."

Lenalee halfheartedly checked her pockets and came up with the same result as Lucia. "And they might have been a little perverted, but they always meant well. Oh, God, why are we even defending them?!"

Lucia sighed in annoyance. "Who knows? Let's just head back to the Black Order."

"Did I hear a little wistfulness in that sigh, Lucia? Are you missing Blake already?" Lenalee teased as they began to walk back to the Black Order's headquarters.

"No way! Besides, I haven't even known him for a day," Lucia muttered.

It took them a few minutes to walk back to the Black Order, but when they arrived, the first greeting they received was…typical. "LENALEE!" The greeting started off with Komui screaming that one word and jumping to take his little sister in his arms. It ended when Lenalee actually accepted his hug.

"We're back, brother," Lenalee said. Komui pulled away and hugged Lucia almost as enthusiastically as he had Lenalee.

"I was so worried! I was afraid that vile Crown Clown would take my poor Lenalee's innocence!" Komui sobbed.

"No, her Dark Boots are still intact," Lucia joked dryly.

"Oh, ha-ha," Komui responded sarcastically. Then he looked behind the girls, as if expecting to see a tied-up Crown Clown. "You didn't find him, or his partner?"

"No, we found them, but…" Lenalee struggled for a suitable story. As tolerant as he was, Komui would never believe that the notorious pair of thieves had not only spared their lives, but were also very well mannered gentlemen. And even if he did believe it, he would go berserk if he found out that Lenalee had slept over at a boy's house, and the fact that it was Crown Clown's house would only cause greater mass destruction.

"I'm sorry, Komui. This time, the other one joined the battle. The other one is Crown Clown's partner, and he uses the Innocence Fantasy's Requiem. We lost just as easily as Kanda and Lavi did," Lucia said.

"Tell me more in my office. I have to gather the other Exorcists," Komui said.

"Why?" Lenalee asked.

"Bishop Horatio is coming shortly."

The girls immediately raced back to their rooms for a quick shower and change into spare outfits in order to look relatively presentable. Bishop Horatio was the leader of the Black Order. Everyone besides the Exorcist Generals deferred to him. He was a kindly, portly old man who cared deeply about the well being of the Black Order's employees, but he was always stressing cleanliness.

When Lenalee and Lucia stepped out of their rooms, both of them dressed in new uniforms, they immediately headed to Komui's office. When they got there, they noticed two things. One, that the office was spick and span, much to their surprise. There was not a single scrap of paper or trash remaining, and the floors and tables seemed to shine. Neither of the girls could figure out how Komui had done it, but the clean room was a welcome sight.

The other sight was even more pleasing. "Lenalee! Lucia! You guys are back!" A red-orange-haired young man in an Exorcist vest, white shirt and pants, black boots, a bandanna, and an eye patch greeted them jovially from the couch. "Hey, Yu! Be nice and greet them!"

This last was directed towards a tall blue-haired man with an Exorcists' coat leaning against the wall. "I told you not to call me by my first name, stupid rabbit!" he snapped.

"Lavi, Kanda…it's great to see you both!" Lenalee returned Lavi's greeting, earning a smile from the former and a scoff from the latter.

"Glad to see that you haven't changed a bit, Kanda," Lucia muttered. Kanda glared at her, and she smiled mockingly at him, prompting him to draw his sword and move threateningly towards her. Although the man towered over her by a good several inches, Lucia stood firm, ready to activate her bow if necessary.

"Neither of you could possibly change over the past few days, couldn't you?" an older man's voice sighed.

Lucia and Kanda turned to look at a small old man with a topknot and heavy dark makeup around his eyes sitting next to Lavi. This was a man simply known as…Bookman.

Lucia curtsied. "Hello, Bookman." Bookman was one of the few people that Lucia would always submit to, due to his knowledge and his incredible control over projectiles with his Heaven's Compass.

The old man nodded at both Lenalee and Lucia. "How did your mission go?"

Lavi became uncharacteristically serious, and even Kanda turned to listen to them. "We'll wait until Brother shows up," Lenalee answered.

"I'm already here." Komui came into the room, along with a plump old man wearing elaborate red and white robes. At the sight of the latter, all five Exorcists in the room stood to attention.

"No need for that, everyone!" Bishop Horatio laughed. The five Exorcists beat their fists against their chests in a final salute and sat down onto two couches. Komui pushed a large armchair towards Horatio and respectfully gestured for him to sit down. Horatio did so with great relief. "Ahhh…very comfortable, Komui. Thank you. Now then, I believe these two lovely young ladies have a report to make on the most recent dealings with Crown Clown?"

Komui smiled. "Yes, sir." He sat down at his desk and looked expectantly at Lenalee and Lucia, who both nodded once in turn.

"Yes, well…this is what happened…" Lenalee began.

_Later…_

"And then they left us in the street," Lenalee ended the story.

"I'm sorry to say that the only success of this mission was new information. We now know Crown Clown's partner wields the Innocence Fantasy's Requiem. His powers are quite similar to mine, in that we both have to chant the Latin words for elements in order to use them. Fantasy's Requiem can manipulate fire, water, wind, lightning, and earth, on top of being able to fly."

"Even though we learned these things, they knocked us out before we could use them to our advantage. We woke up in one of the citizens' houses. That's why we were gone for so long. We had to recuperate," Lenalee added.

"I see. Well, then, we will have to compensate these saviors of yours after the party," Horatio mused.

"What party?" Lucia asked.

Horatio looked at her in surprise for an instant before he realized that he had gotten ahead of himself. "Oh, I did not tell you. In honor of the hundredth anniversary of the Black Order's founding, we are holding a formal gala in five nights from now, at the Vatican's Ballroom near here. You are all expected to attend; many of our sponsors will be there, and they all want to see you Exorcists. Komui, your attendance is mandatory, but it is up to the Exorcists whether they want to come or not. I do recommend that you do, however. It will be quite entertaining," he said.

"We'll consider it, Father Horatio," Bookman said. Horatio smiled and struggled out of his chair.

"Well then, I hope to see you all at the party's location. May God's will help you punish those heretic thieves," Horatio said. Komui stood up to help Father Horatio out of the room, with Kanda, Lavi, and Bookman going to help. This left Lenalee and Lucia alone in the room.

Lucia sighed. "I'm glad we were able to keep from telling the whole truth," she said.

Lenalee nodded in agreement. "We can't come back and tell them some wild story about the Millennium Earl and the Akuma without proof at the very least. They'd throw us into an asylum," she said.

"No, Komui would spare us from that fate, but we'd still be ignored and mocked…until we're forced to consign Allen and Blake to death by gigantic robot destruction," Lucia said.

"That's not a fate that I would wish on anyone," Lenalee agreed.

"It might happen to the poor soul who asks you for a dance at the party," Lucia suggested.

"Are you going?" Lenalee asked.

"Why wouldn't I? It'll be nice to just relax and not have to worry about those two bastards for one night. You, on the other hand, will have you hands full if you go. All the boys will be fawning over you," Lucia said.

"Lucia, you underestimate your own beauty. Blake said so himself. If he were going to that gala, he'd ask you for a dance in a heartbeat," Lenalee assured.

Lucia sighed. "He'd only do it mockingly, or because someone else asked you."

"No, I think Blake would ask you even if someone else did ask me first, and he would mean it. Allen was right about him; he's really a nice person," Lenalee said.

"I guess he's attractive enough, if you like that kind of person." Lucia looked at Lenalee, musing. "But if you're trying to match me with Blake, you really must consider Allen, too."

"Allen? I don't even like him," Lenalee demurred.

Lucia smiled. "Allen treated you the same way Blake treated me. Even so, we're drawn to them because they were unconditionally kind after beating us down. They were gentlemen, and God knows there's not enough of that in the world anymore. There's no shame in developing feelings for them," she said.

Lenalee shook her head. "You sound like you're falling for Blake already," she pointed out.

"I-I'm not!" Lucia denied violently.

Lenalee laughed. "Well, whatever the case, you have to listen to your own advice. Blake's perfectly decent, no matter his appearance," she said.

Lucia laughed as well. "Then how about this? We tell each other exactly when we fall for a man; it doesn't have to be one of them, and then the other will support her in any way. Of course, I will save Allen for you," she said.

"And Blake will be yours if you want him," Lenalee agreed.

"I don't want him!"

Lenalee laughed when Lucia's face turned violently red. Despite her spirit, Lucia was very shy about these things.

**Transition chapters suck. To make up for this lack of action, the next chapter will be released soon. But for now, please leave a comment below. **


	5. Debut

**Redemption time!**

Lucia walked alone to the Black Order's entrance, wearing a ballroom gown with an external blue covering, a white internal dress, thin shoulder straps and the Black Order's star blazoned onto its center. She padded softly in white slippers, and despite the restrictive dress, she moved quite gracefully. Her silver hair had been pinned and flowed smoothly down to her back in soft tresses. When she came within sight of the entrance, all the passing males could not help but look at her lustfully, but they all turned away when she gave them a smile.

At the entrance, Lavi, Kanda, and Bookman, who all wore black suits with the Black Order's symbol blazoned onto their chests, greeted her. Kanda's suit, however, was more oriental in nature, with more flowing sleeves than Lavi's. Also, Kanda had a lotus pinned onto his suit, while Lavi had a white rose. Only Bookman's suit was unadorned.

"Lucia! You look…amazing! That ensemble completely matches your hair!" Lavi exclaimed.

Lucia smiled and turned once before curtseying. "Thank you," she said.

She then noticed Kanda looking at her appraisingly, and met his eyes. "It looks nice," he said after a few seconds. She nodded in acknowledgment, but then Kanda's eyes were drawn past her. Lavi's eyes widened, his jaw dropped, and Lucia smiled as she turned and saw what he and Kanda were looking at.

On her brother's arm was the second of the Black Order's maidens, looking every bit as beautiful as her friend. Lenalee's hair was also pinned, and like Lucia's hair, it cascaded smoothly down to the middle of her back. She wore a shimmering black dress that went very well with her dark green hair and purple eyes, and the long white gloves that covered her forearms only served to further emphasize a very appealing contrast.

Komui was dressed in a black suit, and had forsaken his cap and glasses. Like Bookman, he had also forsaken any sort of flower pin. Instead, he had four Black Order symbols dotting his suit.

"Lucia…that outfit fits you perfectly, not only in size, but also in appearance," Lenalee gushed.

Lucia smiled. "You are a sight for sore eyes, Lenalee. All the men will be drawn towards you," she said.

"No…with that bright outfit, they'll all look at you before they look at me," Lenalee demurred.

"I think that you two should stand next to each other. The stark contrast will draw attention to you both. If it is males you wish to attract, that is the best way," Bookman advised.

"No! Lenalee, I've changed my mind! You cannot come with us!" Komui declared.

Lenalee glared at her brother dangerously, her look mirrored by Lucia, Lavi, and Kanda. Under the glares of these four very dangerous Exorcists, Komui quickly balked. "F-fine, but you have to stay within my sight at all times! Lucia, you must also watch over her!"

"Brother, I'm sixteen! I'm not a child anymore!" Lenalee protested. Komui ignored her, and instead led her to the large coach that was to take them all to the ballroom. Komui, of course, sat facing the rest in the center of the front seat. Lenalee sat to his right, and Lucia to his left. The three male Exorcists sat facing them, and the coach began to move.

"Lenalee, Lucia, you'll be glad to know that our compensation was sent to the address that you gave us. Whoever your saviors were, our debt to them has been paid," Komui said.

"I wonder why Crown Clown and Fantasy's Requiem let you guys go. Maybe because you're girls?" Lavi asked.

"They were all too happy to run away from us. Or at least, Crown Clown was," Kanda added.

"Come to think of it, they've been rather lately. There hasn't been a single report of theft, murder, or even any sightings of those two," Lavi said.

"They're humans, too, as surprising as that is. Even they need their rest. Don't worry, we'll catch them soon enough," Lucia said.

"When they come out again, I'm sending all five of you to catch them," Komui warned.

"Brother, isn't that a bit much?" Lenalee asked.

"I can't allow them to run amok any longer. They're making this town very difficult to live in, and the Black Order prides itself on having a 96% criminal catch rate. I won't ruin that reputation. They have to go," Komui justified.

"I'll look forward to it. Out of the five of us, I'm the only one who hasn't met them personally. Maybe I can get them to talk," Bookman said.

"I doubt it," Lenalee muttered.

"What was that?" Komui asked.

"Oh, nothing." The Black Order actually had two other Exorcists, Daisya Barry and Noise Marie, but they were on another mission. However, Lenalee had a feeling that if Lucia, Lavi, Kanda, Bookman, and herself were to work together, then even Allen and Blake could be overwhelmed. She knew how strong Allen was; defeating Kanda and Lavi was no easy feat, but even so, she couldn't help but worry about what would happen to him if he ever were caught by the Black Order. She smirked when another thought came to her; Allen would probably lull them all into a false sense of security before breaking about with no trouble, even if Blake weren't with him.

Lucia was also just as confident that even if Allen or Blake were caught, they would not be easy to keep. She had experienced Blake's power firsthand, and she wasn't so naïve as to think that he had gone all out against her during their fight. She had only experienced the freezing power of water and the burning power of fire, and only the former was experienced firsthand. He had held back to keep her alive, and Allen had done the same with Lenalee. Lucia was certain that had Allen and Blake wanted to kill any of the ones sent to capture them, they would have done it all too easily.

The girls' thoughts were interrupted when the coach stopped. Komui looked out the window and smiled. "That was fast. We're here," he said.

"That was barely ten minutes! Why couldn't we have just walked here?" Lavi asked.

"The ladies' dresses would have been spoiled," Kanda mocked.

"That's right! Good job, Kanda!" Komui exclaimed, clapping Kanda on the back and ignoring his glare.

Kanda and Lavi got off first and then turned to help Lenalee and Lucia out of the coach. When the girls dismounted, they saw a sight to behold.

Towering above a looming gate just like the one at the Black Order, the Vatican's Ballroom was coated with shiny gold and white, almost like a golden city. It wasn't so bright that it hurt the eyes, but its brilliance was undisputed. It was also crowned with an enormous golden cross, standing as a dazzling beacon that could be seen from many miles away.

Komui led them to the gate and showed the bouncer their invitations, which prompted another employee to immediately lead the Black Order's party inside. As soon as the servant showed them the inside, he announced in a carrying voice, "Presenting the Black Order's party, our guests of honor! Section Chief Komui Lee, and Exorcists Lenalee Lee, Lucia Remier, Lavi Bookman, Head Bookman, and Yu Kanda!"

All of the young Exorcists ignored the resounding applause; even Kanda was transfixed by the inner hall's beauty. The scales of the ballroom and decorations were both enormous. Great golden chains had been draped across the ceiling. The floor was shiny and remained so, even though there were hundreds of guests in attendance already. The high windows showed a view of the starry night sky on all sides. Two flights of curved white stairs led to a mezzanine, the front of which was draped in red curtains with the Black Order's star. Below the mezzanine was a high stage of silver and green, and Bishop Horatio, quite noticeable in red formal wear, sat smiling on a white throne.

"Welcome! Please enjoy yourselves!" Horatio called.

All of the members of the Black Order's party bowed, and they all set to enjoy themselves. Lenalee and Lucia went to socialize with the young nobles of their age, with Komui following to make sure Lenalee was safe. Kanda went to stand in a corner by himself, but much to his chagrin, he was approached by a group of young girls who gushed at his handsomeness and barely paid another thought to Lavi, who had followed Kanda in the hopes of scoring a dance. When Lavi realized that he had little hope of gaining the girls' attention, he went to join Bookman, who went to clear a table for when they wanted to rest.

Lenalee and Lucia were surrounded by male and female young nobles. Some of them were Lenalee and Lucia's old friends, but most were new ones hoping to meet the Exorcists or score a dance with them. Komui's presence quickly silenced hopes of the latter, for when a boy finally worked up the nerve to ask Lenalee for a dance, Komui quickly cut in and stole Lenalee away, claiming that, "siblings should always dance together first!"

This left Lucia rolling her eyes at the leaving pair of siblings and stuck in a growing catcall of questions and compliments.

"Miss Remier, your beauty is still great!"

"How do you stay so pretty, even in comparison to Lenalee?"

"Miss Remier, I am Master Trapping. Please do me the honor of sharing a dance with me."

"Leave, Charles! She has no interest in you!"

"And do you think that she'll dance with you, James?"

"Of course!"

"No, she shall dance with me!"

"Be silent, the both of you! Let Lucia decide who she wants to dance with!"

This went on for a while, until Lucia was quite frankly tired of it and spent some time walking around. However, many suitors started to follow in the hopes that she would dance with them, and although some of Lucia's female noble friends took some of the burden away, she found herself being pursued in all directions. Lucia was getting frustrated with the boys, and begged God for a miracle.

At the Black Order's table, Lenalee had just finished a series of dances with Komui, and was gratefully drinking a glass of punch that Lavi had offered her when she saw a young man dressed in a black suit with a blue rose pinned onto it, a black top hat with a white band, black pants, a silver formal shirt, and black shoes approach Lucia. As soon as Lenalee saw the man's roguish, sharp face, she nearly did a spit-take out of shock.

Lucia finally snapped when a heavy hand was placed on her shoulder and a pair of lips touched her cheek. She whirled around on impulse, ready to slap the man that had dared touch her, but stopped short when her mind remembered the feeling of those lips on her skin. And then saw the ice blue left eye and the blood-red right eye. The top hat might have hidden his hair; even his signature pair of bangs was stuffed into his hat's embrace, but there was no mistaking those eyes.

Blake Phantasia was somehow, for some reason, here. Lucia would never forget the angled planes of his face, nor would she forget those eyes or lips. A blush made her way up to her cheek, but she fought it down.

"I came here wading into a sea of pearls; beautiful enough on their own, but horrifyingly bland when among each other. And then I find…the diamond within all that blandness. How are you, Lucia Remier? It's been far too long," Blake murmured. His face was very close to hers, and Lucia didn't know whether to be pleased or horrified that he was here and had just saved her again.

She chose a mix of both, and settled for a picture of shocked awe. "You…you're here…" she stammered.

Blake cocked his head before turning a glare at the jealous and indignant suitors. "The lady is displeased. I'd keep my distance," he warned. As if to prove his point, he stepped away from Lucia, keeping at a respectful distance from her.

Charles Trapping stepped forward. "And who are you?" he challenged.

Blake turned fully around to reveal the Black Order's star blazoned onto the other side of where the blue rose was. "I apologize for arriving late, but there were some more things to deal with at the Black Order. But I knew that Miss Remier and Miss Lee would be accosted by people like you, so I had no choice but to come. Please leave her alone for a little bit. If you truly care about her, you will leave," he said, in an overly formal yet mocking tone of voice.

The suitors hesitated. On the one hand, they all wanted to dance with Lucia. On the other hand, none of them wanted to make themselves look like they didn't care about Lucia. They all did, but they were used to getting their way, and many of them had never been faced with such a dilemma.

Finally, they reluctantly gave in to Blake's ultimatum and slowly dispersed. Lucia watched them go with great happiness. She looked at Blake to thank him, but he held up a hand.

"Why am I here? Allen and I got two invitations to this party a few days ago, and a note thanking us for saving you two. I don't know how you two pulled that off, but I really don't want to know. Allen will be a little late, but I think he will be here, and that Lenalee will be very happy about that." He smiled. "No need to thank me for just now. All I ask is that you save a dance for me in the near future. Not now, of course, but it would always be an honor if you were to accept a dance with me, Lucia Remier." Blake bowed low, waiting for her answer.

Lucia smiled. "You are a conniving, roguish, thieving bastard, Blake Phantasia. Even so…I promise to dance with you," she murmured, curtseying.

Blake grinned. "Thank you. I would get back to your table, Lucia. It looks like your dear bishop is preparing for a speech. Go on," he ushered her.

Lucia turned to see Bishop Horatio struggling out of his chair before she turned back, but to her surprise, Blake was gone without a trace. A small, naïve part of her wondered if she had imagined the entire encounter, but she shook the thought out of her head as she walked back to join her friends. The look Lenalee gave her made Lucia realize that Blake had not been imagined, but before either of them could say anything, Horatio began to speak.

"Guests, employees, I thank you all for coming tonight. Before this night continues, I also wish to call for applause on those who have made this night possible! First, I would like to give a warm greeting to our most honored guests, the Black Order's party of God's apostles! Come now, stand so that we can all see you!" Horatio called. Kanda grumbled, but he joined the others and stood up. Everyone in the ballroom turned to look at the six honored guests and burst into an enormous round of applause.

"Now to the next honor! All of you guests! And no, I did not speak incorrectly. All of you wealthy who have been so kind as to sponsor the Black Order deserve a round of applause! God thanks you!" There was another round of applause.

"And finally, I would like to call forward one of our most valuable assets! Although he has only recently started, he has donated a record amount of money towards God's cause!" Horatio turned to look behind as another portly man wearing a flowered hat, a pale suit, and a green shirt stepped forward. His face was shadowed by his hat's wide brim, and he held a cane with a jack-o-lantern near the bottom. "It is my great pleasure to introduce…The Earl of Millennium!" Horatio stepped back as he threw his arm out, gesturing to the newcomer.

Lenalee and Lucia gasped. That name…it couldn't be! Next to Lenalee, Komui looked at his sister in concern. "Lenalee, Lucia, what's wrong?"

The Earl raised his face to reveal a tanned, strong countenance, and a monocle on his left eye. "Good evening, everyone~!" he practically sang. "It is quite the honor to be here tonight~!" Lenalee shuddered in fear. This tone was the very same as the one that the fat man had used in her nightmare.

"I also would like to thank the Church for being so kind~! Spreading the word of God is a very noble task, indeed~! But did you all know…~" His face became shadowed again as he lowered it. "That where there are men of God…~" Horatio stepped forward once more, but his smile now seemed to radiate malice.

"There are demons as well~!" the Earl jovially exclaimed, suddenly revealing his true, grotesque face. The whole crowd gasped at the now sickly gray skin, at the malicious eyes that hid behind thick spectacles, at the enormous, devilish grin. Lenalee screamed outright.

"Lenalee! It's got to be him!" Lucia exclaimed.

"The Millennium Earl is real! Where's Blake?!" Lenalee asked, looking around.

"Lenalee, what are you talking about? Who's Blake? What's going on?" Komui asked.

"Horatio…signal the death toll!" the Earl ordered.

Horatio grinned even wider as his body expanded horribly. The crowd screamed again as an enormous, faceless, worm-like monster with long, sharp fangs and eight thick legs burst out of Horatio's skin, destroying the stage and dwarfing the Earl.

"Old man, what the hell is that?!" Lavi demanded, backing up. Bookman began to mutter in a strange language, and Lavi grunted. "Goddammit, panda, this is no time to be remembering things!"

The Millennium Earl raised his cane, which turned into a purple umbrella. "Relo, call them out~!"

The jack-o-lantern on the umbrella laughed as a purple sonic wave flowed out of its mouth. "Relo relo relo relo relo relo relo!"

"Mother! What is…?" A noblewoman screamed as her mother's skin burst open to reveal a perfect specimen of what Lenalee and Lucia recognized as a Level 1 Akuma. Around the ballroom, other people were bursting open to reveal more Level 1s, which immediately began to cause chaos when they started firing their bullets.

"Lovely! It's so beautiful, Lord Millennium!" The Level 2 Akuma that used to be Horatio grinned gleefully as the Akuma's bullets corroded hundreds of humans to ashes. Many tried to get away, but the Earl waved a hand, raising a wall that extended to almost touch the high ceiling. The panicking guests found themselves literally up against a stone wall as the Akuma cornered them.

"Kill them all~!" the Earl sang.

"No!" Lenalee immediately left her panicking brother's side and stood in front of the other guests, ready to fight with her Dark Boots invoked. "You won't kill any more people tonight!"

"You can't stop them! The Akuma are unbeatable!" Horatio laughed as the Level 1s surrounded Lenalee. They all prepared to fire at once, but then arrows of light began to rain down on some of the Akuma, destroying them.

Lucia landed next to Lenalee from her high jump and turned back to look at the shocked guests. "Don't be afraid! Innocence can stop these things! It is the Anti-Akuma Weapon! That is Innocence's true purpose, granted by God to stop the Akuma!" she reassured.

"Oh~? I was under the impression that the Exorcists of this time were ignorant of their weapons' capabilities~. Horatio, what is the meaning of this~?" The Millennium Earl turned a cold gaze on the giant Level 2, who, despite the fact that he outsized the Earl enormously, quavered in fear.

"L-lord Millennium, p-please! I-I can handle this! They may be able to defeat a few Level 1 Akuma, but they can never take down a full battalion!" Horatio opened his grotesque mouth to reveal a full tide of Level 1s swarming out. Soon enough, Lenalee and Lucia were facing a good hundred of them, all of which were pointing their guns at the two young girls.

"Damn! I thought there weren't supposed to be this many!" Lucia snapped.

"They were right…Allen and Blake were right!" Lenalee exclaimed.

"We can thank them later! Now we have to figure out how we're going to beat these things!" Lucia said.

"You don't~." The Millennium Earl raised his hand, and all of the Level 1s shifted their aim towards the stone wall. "You all die an even slower death~!"

"No! Leave these people out of it, or die! Tenebris!" Lucia cried, the arrows of light in her bow turning into a single thick arrow of darkness.

Lenalee increased the energy in her Dark Boots, and began to float. "This is your last chance, Earl! Stop this now!"

The Millennium Earl began to cackle. "No, you are not in any position to bargain…all it takes is a single blast to shatter that wall…one blast…and all the souls that you…and only you…protect…hahahahahaha~! I'm getting tingly just thinking about it~!"

"No, you can't!" Lenalee growled.

"I can…and I will~!" The Millennium Earl raised a hand, but a dark arrow impaled it. The Earl hurriedly leapt backwards to avoid Lucia's next shot, but Lenalee rushed after him and aimed a double dropkick at his face. Her booted feet slammed right into the fat man and flung him backwards. As he flew, Lucia's light arrows rained down on him, and he was a practical pincushion by the time he landed and slid backwards, gasping with pain as Lucia's dark arrow began to take its toll.

"The next one will go for your heart," Lucia threatened.

"Take your Akuma and go, Millennium Earl. There are five other Exorcists here besides us, and once they know what you are and why you're here, they won't hesitate to kill you," Lenalee added.

Komui, Kanda, Bookman, and Lavi were still listening. For some reason, none of the other Exorcists wanted to break into this fight. This seemed personal for the girls, and besides, they had too little idea about the situation. For example, there were only three other Exorcists in the room besides Lenalee and Lucia, so where did they get the other two? For now, Kanda, Lavi, and Bookman were all content to wait and see how things played out.

Komui, however, had no such scruples. "What are you three doing?! Your comrades need help! Go! I want you to protect my sweet Lenalee!"

The three Exorcists sighed and were about to move in when the Millennium Earl easily got up despite the vicious attack. With a grunt, he expelled every single arrow out of him, even the stubborn dark arrow. As they dissipated, everyone was shocked to see that there wasn't a scratch on him.

The Millennium Earl seemed to grin even more widely than before. "Too far away~!" he laughed. The girls looked confused for a moment until their opponent raised a hand. Too late, they moved to try to save the guests.

"Fire~!" The Millennium Earl flung his hand down as every single Level 1 fired their bullets at the wall. Time seemed to slow down for the girls as the wall crumbled and dropped onto the guests.

"BROTHER!" Lenalee screamed, catching on last view of him shielding his face with his arms before the rocks buried him and the other guests away from sight.

"No…" Lucia whispered as she realized that they were too late. The guests were crushed, and so was Lucia's spirit. She crumpled to her knees, lamenting that even Kanda, Lavi, and Bookman were gone, and it was all their fault! They failed at their job! They failed to protect those dearest to them!

"Brother! Brother! Please, Komui, don't leave me here! I couldn't bear it again…please!" Lenalee was sobbing, tears pouring down her face as she kicked at the rubble and sent it flying in different directions. "Please…please…please…Lucia, help me!"

Lucia quickly smothered her sadness and clung on to the hope that the guests were still alive somehow, but deep down, she knew it was a bleak hope. However, both she and Lenalee refused to believe it, and so they kept clearing away dirt.

The Millennium Earl, however, had no sympathy for them. "They are dead~." Although this statement was still in the same singsong voice, it was colder than anything he had ever said before. "Deal with it~. Don't be sad, girls…you will join them~!"

Lucia turned to face the army of Akuma as they began to converge. She loaded several more light arrows. With her accuracy, she would be able to hit quite a few with the light arrows' splitting power, but the others would inevitably gather…and kill them both.

It would be the end, and yet…Lucia wasn't ready to accept it. She jumped down from the enormous pile. "I will not die here. We're not going to die here." She glared defiantly at the Millennium Earl as the banging from Lenalee's kicking at the rubble continued behind her. "We will not die here."

The Millennium Earl laughed. "So be it~. Kill them~…"

"What is this?" The Earl stopped at this question from Lenalee, and his eyes widened. Lucia turned to see that Lenalee had cleared away the topmost layer of rubble…to reveal an enormous mass of fine dirt. It looked like a giant anthill, but there was no hole at the top, and, as shown when Lenalee gave it a shove, it was very solid.

"What~? What is that~?" Even the Earl seemed confused.

"You woke up the beast," an all-too familiar voice said. Lucia turned to see Blake Phantasia walk out from behind the hill of dirt. His Innocence was invoked, and his right arm looked like a brown stone structure.

"They are all alive. This form allows me to control earth, and before the wall collapsed on them, I created this little barrier. The guests are all inside," Blake said. Lenalee and Lucia gasped in relief. "However, there is the off chance that they're all suffocating now, so I'll let them out."

With that, Blake rammed his arm into the floor, making it shake. Lenalee stumbled as a large hole opened at the top of the hill. She shouted and was about to fall when a brilliant white streak suddenly appeared and floated out of the hole. Lenalee gasped when she tipped over and fell backwards, but was then enveloped by strong arms and lifted into the air as the barrier of dirt crumbled.

Lenalee felt herself flying through the air for a few transcendent moments as the screams of dying Akuma erupted around her. Down below, Lucia watched in awe as the white figure hovered around her. If any Akuma got into its path, it died without doing anything else. She knew what the streak was; with Blake here, it was all too obvious.

The cloaked man let Lenalee onto the ground, before continuing his journey around the foremost wave of Akuma, and killing them in a matter of moments. The earth barrier crumbled to reveal Komui, Kanda, Lavi, Bookman, and the other guests. All of them were dazed, but Komui recovered just fast enough to see Lenalee landing lightly on her feet and looking at him with tears in her eyes.

"Brother…thank goodness!" she cried.

"Lenalee, what happened? How did we survive?" Komui asked.

"They saved you," Lenalee said, pointing at Blake, who was focusing on pushing the earth back down to repair the floor, and then at the white-clad savior, who was just about to float down.

The strange white being spiraled in full view of the recovering guests for a few seconds before black-clad legs and a white right hand grew out of it. Everyone recovered just in time to see a white hood with an all-too-familiar decorated silver mask fall down to the figure's back.

Lenalee smiled as Allen turned his face to glance at her. "Mr. Walker…you are very late to the party…" Then she noticed something. His left eye was different; it was completely black with a red reverse pentagram in it. "What's wrong with your eye?"

Allen smiled back and was about to respond when another voice kept him from doing so.

"Good evening~." Allen stopped smiling, and his eyes moved to give a death glare at the Millennium Earl. "It seems we have met again…Allen Walker~!"

Allen smiled again, this time more in gleeful anticipation.

"Good evening, Earl."

**Yeah. That's how it's going to go. Allen's entrance at Edo was one of the most badass scenes in the anime, and there's no way in hell I'm going to let that go. So I tried something like that, only I don't think I captured the moment well enough.**

**What do you guys think? Leave a comment below with your thoughts.**


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